Eagles QB Jalen Hurts to remain sidelined due to blood clots in lungs: What to know

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will miss additional games this season due to blood clots in his lungs, the team announced Monday.

In a statement shared on social media, the Eagles said that after additional testing, Hurts has been diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli.

Deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, is when a blood clot develops in the deep veins, usually in the legs. A pulmonary embolism, or PE, occurs when a part of the DVT clot breaks off and travels to the lungs, which can be life-threatening, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

A diagnosis of bilateral pulmonary emboli means there are blood clots on both Hurts’ right and left lungs.

Pulmonary embolism can be serious, potentially causing permanent damage to the lung, low oxygen levels in the blood and damage to other organs in the body from not getting enough oxygen. 

While the Eagles said he is expected to make a “full recovery,” Hurts is currently on blood thinner medications and not allowed to “participate in any contact activities, including football,” according to the statement from the team and Hurts’ agent.

“Jalen’s prognosis is very good, and we expect a full recovery,” the Eagles said in the statement. “We anticipate that he will have the opportunity to resume contact football activities when off the blood thinners. In the meantime, he will remain active around the team and continue to condition. More importantly, we anticipate that he will have no long-term effects.”

The Eagles first announced last week that the Super Bowl-winning quarterback had been diagnosed with a “superficial blood clot” in his calf after being “cleated” during a game against the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 4.

Hurts first requested treatment for his calf on Oct. 8 after practice, according to the Eagles. Days later, he traveled to London with his teammates for an Oct. 11 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Following that game, Hurts received a follow-up ultrasound, which revealed a movement in the small blood clot, the Eagles previously shared.

What to know about blood clots

A blood clot can be classified either as superficial or deep and typically involve the arms and legs, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Anyone can develop a superficial blood clot, which involve the veins closest to the skin surface, but known risk factors include prior injury or trauma to the affected area, prolonged travel or immobility, recent surgery or a prior IV placed into the vein, according to JAMA.

Other risk factors include use of certain oral contraceptive pills, history of cancer, or a known history of clotting disorders.

Those who have blood clots typically first develop swelling, pain or redness along the affected area. An ultrasound is used to diagnose it and search for deeper blood clots, according to the CDC.

A small superficial blood clot can be treated with topical painkillers or warm compresses or compression stockings, according to JAMA. If they’re extensive, patients may require blood-thinning medication for a few months or longer, depending on their risk factors.

If left untreated, a superficial blood clot could become a deep blood clot, which increases the risk of blood clots traveling to the right side of the heart and landing in the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism, which can lead to death, shortness of breath, chest pain or unconsciousness, according to the CDC.

Long-distance air travel may increase a person’s overall risk for DVT and PE, according to the CDC. Other risk factors include older age, recent hospitalization or surgery, limited mobility for an extended period of time, family history and pregnancy.

Anticoagulant medications, also known as blood thinners, are most commonly used to treat DVT and PE.